In many communication scenarios, it is desirable to authenticate or verify the identity of a person and/or a device before allowing access to a network or service. The most common user authentication is to require a login and password. This method has the difficulties of the user having to remember and enter this information. Further compounding the problem, a majority of the radios being used today in public safety have no keypad, display, or other graphical user interface (GUI). Thus, for some radios, a very limited user interface or even no user interface is present to facilitate the authentication process.
The user login and password method is also susceptible to spoofing if the user information is acquired by unauthorized persons. For this reason, this method is sometimes augmented with a second factor for authentication, such as a seeded card that gives other information to enter. Due to these limitations associated with the user login and password method, it would be desirable to have a strong authentication method that does not require the user to input a password or other information to complete the authentication process.
Thus, there exists a need for a method and system for authentication using near field techniques and/or mechanisms.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments. In addition, the description and drawings do not necessarily require the order illustrated. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. Apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the various embodiments so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Thus, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, common and well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments.